


Hobbies

by boDDaciousS



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Food, M/M, basically kaiba learns to cook, blue eyes white knife set, for now its in the background, rivalship but like, wanted to call this the kaiba food fic but, will be adding more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28355274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boDDaciousS/pseuds/boDDaciousS
Summary: “What I’m trying to say is,” Katsuya lets out a half-sigh as he twiddles his pen between two fingers, “you need to find new hobbies, Kaiba.”(In which Kaiba realizes that maybe he's wrong for once and teaches himself how to cook.)
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Kaiba, but in Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> hello ...this is my first time ever posting fic online and I'm really hoping it goes well if you don't like it don't read please dont yell at me thanks!! :D if theres spelling errors im sorry this was read over by me a couple times and thats rlly it!!

“What I’m trying to say is,” _Katsuya lets out a half-sigh as he twiddles his pen between two fingers,_ “you need to find new _hobbies_ , Kaiba.”

_Hobbies_. 

The word sounds almost foreign as it enters his ears, Seto Kaiba crossing his arms and allowing one leg to hang over the other as he leaned back in the plush office chair. Eyes only roll at the therapist’s advice, an annoyed scowl fixating itself across his lips. “I _have_ hobbies--”

“ _Work_ isn’t a hobby.” The bleach blonde interjects, finally choosing to instead jeer his pen toward his client. In the present, years of study in psychology had simply armored Jonouchi against the CEO’s future manipulative and selfish remarks, the brunette now more of an open _book_ to study and understand, rather than the pesky bully he had been all those years ago.

_Needless to say_ , Kaiba did not take kindly to be looked at under a microscope like some...some _vermin_. 

Kaiba was finally confronted with what he had been completely neglecting for so long, 29-year old letting out a grunt in response to the man opposite of him, eyebrows furrowing deeper than what they previously were. _Deep breaths,_ the duelist had told himself, mind taking a glance at that mental note he’d written last week: _Seto was doing this for Mokuba. Therapy had been a request,_ and after many tough back-and-forths -- _and perhaps some negotiation, a ½ pinch of bargaining_ \-- the elder brother had finally agreed to the ravenette’s pleas.

However, what Seto _hadn’t_ realized prior was that _Jonouchi Katsuya, a previous pest in the eyes of the walled-off businessman_ , was going to personally assess every aspect _he_ felt needed fixing.

Atleast, that’s what _Kaiba_ thought therapy _was_.

So here they were, after three sessions -- _Katsuya had been shocked he even came back for a second_ \-- now discussing... _hobbies_ , _yes, that’s what they had been talking about._

“I _have fun_ outside of my company, you know. It’s not my fault Kaiba Corporation can’t run without their CEO present at all times.” His ankle rolls absentmindedly when he says that, leaning further into the comfortable chair he’d been graced with.

_While their relationship had been like a tsunami colliding with a hurricane_ , _Seto could at least admit that the other man had quite prime taste in furnishings._

“The last time I saw ya’ duel was when that Diva kid had tried to single-handedly _kill_ us all.” It’s with that, he’s scrawling something down on his distastefully green-colored notepad, “All you do is work, at least, that’s _all_ you talk about. Have you at least tried pickin’ up your deck again?”

_Seto recalls -- the last time he’d seen the glory and pride of Blue Eyes White Dragon with his own eyes had been a little bit more than a couple years ago_ . Hell, Kaiba had even graciously given one of his trio to his little brother. The action had been a sign of their bond, their _trust_ with one-another, and to this day the CEO can still recall the glow that flourished in Mokuba’s eyes.

_“You really mean it?!” His younger sibling’s mouth is caught into a permanent ‘o’ as his voice cracks, stars flooding his eyes, the monster card finally handed to him with great care. Seto expected him to jump and click his heels, after that_. 

_Do this for him_. 

The memory makes Seto’s scowl fade, expression softening. His voice now lacked it’s previous venom, “...I’ve served my time.” It’s a brief, vague statement, as Kaiba doesn’t dare mention his last encounter with The Pharaoh, time in the afterlife now a secret kept locked away from the outside world. _Nobody needed to know, it wasn’t their business_ . “There’s nothing more for me, in the Dueling World. I’ve gotten everything I’m after, and I’m content being the _‘workaholic’_ you choose to call me.” 

_How unlike him._

It really seems he won’t budge, Jonouchi letting another sigh from his throat. Using a foot to push his swivel chair back to his desk, the blonde carefully tosses the notepad and pen onto the surface. In very _Jonouchi-fashion_ , he does a swift twirl in his chair, before finally returning his attention back to his friend in a more _casual_ manner. He slouches back, stern brown irises staring straight into crystal blues as he folds his hands together. “ _Yuge_ was right, you know.” _Surely, Jonouchi was violating every principle of professionalism with his change of attitude_ . “You’re tougher than any puzzle to crack.” Seto lets out a confident chuckle in response, a condescending smile taking home on his face. “ _I’m far more difficult to understand than any puzzle or game, what a distasteful comparison_.” He spat.

With his final remark, the brunette checks his watch -- _Kaiba Corp. branded, of course_ \-- digital screen flickering back at him with the time:

_3:59 PM_. 

“It’s almost four. Your time with me is up.” The CEO says very matter-of-factly, darting from his seat and making a beeline for his coat, which hung patiently for it’s owner on Jonouchi’s coat rack.

“ _Actually it’s your ti-_ ” Jonouchi pipes up, only to be interrupted by a brief, “ _I didn’t ask, I don’t care_.” from his client. 

“I take it we’ll be meetin’ again next week?” Jonouchi asks, using his arms to prop himself back up straight in his seat. He blinks twice, enamoured with how swift Kaiba had been about getting up and leaving. _Damn, he wanted to leave that bad, huh_?

Another sigh from Seto, but his voice trickles behind. “Of course. I’m sure Mokuba is going to want me back here no matter _what_ I say to him.”

A manicured hand then makes way for the checkbook in his coat pocket, fingers running against the plush purple fabric as he locates it. _Ah!_ _There it was_. 

In a hurry, he’s soon scrawling out a check -- _payment for the time Jonouchi “Joey” Katsuya-Wheeler had wasted._ With a large ‘ _RIIIP!’_ , Joey’s client tears the piece of paper from the book’s spine, and exchanges it with the blonde while mumbling a minor, “ _Don’t forget to sign the back, this time_.” 

Like that, Seto Kaiba is gone, leaving behind only a mere check with his name, scrawled out in fancy, neat lettering. Jonouchi takes a glance at it, fine paper held between both thumbs. _20,000 yen..._ far more than what the young man desired, per session. The amount is enough to only leave wide and beaming stars in the therapist’s eyes, Joey blinking once or twice and truly unsure if he was actually able to _digest_ the information on the check in front of him.

_Maybe that Kaiba guy isn’t so bad after all_. 

~~

The wind outside offers a winter’s kiss when Kaiba steps into the outdoors, hairs on the back of his neck standing tall as the air non-consentingly bit at his skin. While his soul might’ve been like charcoal, black and dusty -- _frigid, without heat_ \-- it seems that, even his cold heart wasn’t safe against the shifty, snowy weather.

The ex-King of Games lets out a shaky breath before locking his jaw shut, eyes admiring the smoky air that escaped him before it said it’s goodbyes and vanished entirely. Black slip-on loafers click softly against the pavement as he begins his adventure home, penthouse less than a block away.

_At least he wasn’t traversing mountains just to listen to that idiot duelist drone on about whatever “advice” Kaiba didn’t need._

The brunette had been in luck, this time, the streets of Domino City’s Ikou district lacking in occupancy, that evening. Seto had grown accustomed to the bustling crowds, groups of women looking for the nearest spa parlor entangled with various men desiring a drink at the closest lounge. 

Sometimes there _had_ been the occasional struggle in getting away from those who recognized his face, the male having left his _first_ appointment with Jonouchi only to call for a helicopter to pick him up _less than two minutes later_.

Needless to say, while Seto Kaiba had been charismatic, and perhaps charming with other investors or colleagues -- _strangers had been a different story. There was a time and place to please a crowd, and post-therapy, a period where Kaiba was mixed with both bewilderment and exhaustion, was NOT that time._

_Anyway_ , there was glory in quiet sidewalks, leaving Seto not only able to _relax_ , but also _admire_ the season during his trek home. 

_Yes, Seto Kaiba enjoyed things -- Seto Kaiba enjoyed the winter. Whether it be the crisp air that nips at you like an untrained puppy, or the gently swaying drops of snow that fell from the sky,_ the CEO enjoyed it, he _relished_ in it.

Blue orbs dart back and forth as his hands quickly tug at the lapels of his coat, Kaiba making a weak effort to warm up as a gust of wind blows disrespectfully in his direction.

During his trip, he can’t help but ponder on his... _friend’s_ \-- _ugh_ \-- words of encouragement, a sour expression carving itself into his features like clay. Seto Kaiba _had_ hobbies, at least he thought he did, and whatever he thought was true, well, it was _fact_. 

“ _Yuge was right, you know,”_ _The scene plays out like a movie in his head once more_ , brunette letting out another befuddled murmur as he hones in on Jonouchi’s words again. _“You’re tougher than any puzzle to crack.” The male commented_ , and Kaiba wanted to wipe that smirk off his face _terribly_.

Kaiba’s pace slows down as he ponders, drifting inward on the sidewalk, form coming closer to contact with the various windows of shops, cafes, and restaurants that lined the streets of the Ikou District. His vision hazily travels across each and every object, person, and even _line_ he sees in passing windows, and Seto wonders -- _does his boyfriend really think that way about him_?

Of course, Seto prided himself on the fact that he was never easy to read, never predictable, but he can’t help but feel some sort of pang in his chest when he realizes Yugi thinks of him so... _coldly_ . While both duelists loved each other dearly, _and Kaiba knew this_ , there’s a bitter sensation on his tongue when he realizes the solver of the millennium puzzle can’t even _figure Seto Kaiba out_.

It’s this line of thinking that makes his own thoughts fumble, and for once, he considers:

_Maybe they were right, Yugi and Joey_.

Another gust of wind, and soon, Kaiba stops in his tracks, shivering. _Perhaps this hadn’t been the time and place to think about this, alone outside on a cold winter day_. Just then, his eyes freeze, irises glued to the radiant yellow of the window in front of him.

Between warmly lit lights of sunset and cherry-blossom colored quilts sat on display many things -- _a rice cooker, a polished cutting board, and,_ **_oh_ ** _, the knife set -- blue and white like his most prized dragon, the ends of their handles decorated kindly with prime silver, sitting almost teasingly between a sky blue knife block_.

_If Seto were crazy, he’d say that the knife set blinked at him with the most wanting expression imaginable_.

Maybe…

Seto takes one look down the road, then back to the window -- the road, the window, the road- _you get the picture_. Home had been nearby, however, surely, a minor pitstop was necessary before he could complete his adventure.

_Maybe_ …

_And, soon, the soft ringing of a bell, the signal of a shop door opening, makes itself known on the empty sidewalk, alerting whoever owned the ‘Niru Cook Shop’_.

  
  


_Maybe a hobby or two wouldn’t hurt._


	2. Dragons and Knives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!! This next one is out! I'm hoping to churn out more once I get more free time on my hands...enjoy!

_ Right, this was going to happen.  _

Blue eyes stare harshly toward the rice cooker, Seto keeping a six-foot distance between the counter and himself like some kind of quarantine, arms crossed as hands rub up and down at the sleeves protecting his arms.

_ It was a little bit comedic, witnessing the CEO glare down the household appliance like it was one of his employees, and Yugi half-expected his boyfriend to start barking orders up and down like the control freak he was, _ but instead he stares --

And Yugi watches.

It was endearing, really, seeing the brunette attempt to figure cooking out by himself, and it wasn’t as if the spiky-haired game king hadn’t at least  _ tried _ to offer some form of help. Despite his pleas and wishes to at least  _ assist _ Kaiba in some way, he was ultimately ignored with his desires discarded, Yugi instead met with a self-absorbed, ‘ _ I can do this by myself _ .’ from the elder Kaiba brother.

So instead, Yugi twiddled with and spun the warm spoon in his kuriboh-coffee mug, purple eyes propelling downward to the half-melted marshmallows that swam in his hot chocolate, and he can’t help but smile.

_ The marshmallows remind him of yesterday, his boyfriend having arrived at their shared penthouse drenched in what was soft, sleepy snow. _

_ The whisper of the elevator rang through the main hall, Yugi peering up from his book as violet orbs treaded towards the entrance of their shared home. Seto had looked miserable, despite how silly the situation had been in retrospect, brunette mumbling and grumbling as he dragged along what looked to be  _ **_several_ ** _ stylized plastic bags carrying Ra knows what _ .

_ Hurriedly, the shorter male set ‘Game Feel: A Designer’s Guide to Virtual Sensation’ onto the living room’s glass coffee table, Yugi making quick work to remove himself from the leather couch and sprint over to his partner, who had seemingly been struggling with the amount of bags threaded between his slender fingers.  _

_ “Did you go on a mall shopping trip without me?” Yugi chuckled cheekily, half-grin painting itself along his softly-sharpened jawline. It merely earned a disheartened hum in reply from Seto, “Wouldn’t  _ **_you_ ** _ like to know, star boy?” The taller scoffs as Yugi pulls a couple bags from Kaiba’s fingers, weaker letting out a momentary huff at the sudden weight he’d decided to bear on himself. _

_ “What’s in here…??” He questioned, both curious and concerned. Soon, they were unloading the CEO’s treasures in the kitchen next door. _

So there the two men had been now, Yugi studying his boyfriend patiently while Seto held a stare towards that rice cooker. Being the curious onlooker that he was, the brightly-haired duelist lets the shape of an ‘o’ take hold on his lips as the brunette stepped closer to his newly purchased toy. Rather than sit at a distance much longer, eyeballing it as though the rice cooker could grow legs and move on it’s own, Kaiba maneuvers closer, hands untying themselves from their crossed position. One hand settles on the top to pull and remove the cover while the nimble fingers of his other hand make quick work to untie the neatly knotted electrical cord in the back, CEO letting out a wondrous grumble as blue eyes stare down the object’s innards.

_ It’s just a pot. _

It’s a little bit of a surprise to him, and part of him feels as though the outcome was a little anticlimactic.  _ This is what he had been so nervous about _ ? The male merely lets out a miniature, “ _ Oh.” _ from behind his lips, his one-man audience letting out a muffled yet obviously  _ amused  _ noise at the supposed tech guru’s revelation.

The reaction causes Seto to dart his head into the direction of the racket, face contorting into an insulted and accusatory expression. “ _ What’s _ so  _ funny _ ?” He spits, though the attempt at intimidation doesn’t seem to quite disrupt Yugi’s soft giggles.

The violet eyed man stifles another chuckle before speaking up, “I just think,” He leans forward on the bar comfortably and takes another sip of his hot chocolate. “ _ You’re making this a little more dramatic than it needs to be _ .” 

Seto makes a grunt, and he makes and soon he notices the building of warmth in his cheeks.

“ _ It’s cute--!!” _ Yugi reassures him, waving his hand with a smile. “I’m just a  _ little _ bit surprised, that’s all…!”

“ _ I don’t want you watching me!” _ Seto interjects, making a half-scowl with his mouth as his eyebrows furrow, and he’s  _ certain _ he looks like a tomato, right now.

“Alright,  _ alright _ .” Yugi laughs, the reply loose and lax. “I’ll go into the living room then, yeah?” With that, the King of Games jumps off his bar stool seat, kuriboh-mug in hand as he begins to trail out of the kitchen. “I trust you enough not to burn the house down.” He retorts, and soon, Seto is once again by himself with his newly beloved rice cooker.

_ Though, the commentary makes the taller’s fiend expression fade, and then he remembers how he can’t stay mad at Yugi. _

\--

“ _ He’s learning how to cook?? That’s a new one…!” _ A bright voice shouts out from Yugi’s phone, the young Muto flinching in response to the voice crack that invaded his eardrums mid-sentence.

Mokuba was always a little louder than others, and it was quite a contrast to his older sibling.

“ _ Well _ ,” The game king starts, itching his cheek before shifting in his corner on the couch. Yugi sat with his legs pulled close to his chest, mug balanced between his thighs and abdomen. “I thought it was a little strange, myself. I’m sure you remember me being the only one cooking meals when I first moved in...but he’s been really at it since he brought that stuff home! A rice cooker, a knife set, a cutting board…”

Mokuba picks up quickly where Yugi had trailed off, rocking side to side like a crib on his college mattress. “--It’s like he decided to become a chef overnight, huh? Seto never really found it interesting to cook...all that stuff we got was just for show, to look nice, or something like that…”  _ Then he stares at a picture frame on his bureau, a blue frame of himself and the aforementioned brother during Christmas time. The picture in question contains a notably younger Mokuba opening a wrapped gift from under the tree, Seto next to him cross-legged on the floor with a somewhat hidden smile. There’s a plush Blue-Eyes tucked under his arm and they’re both in their pajamas. _

_ Time flies… _

Just then, the college student chimes in again. “I think it’ll be good for him, you know?” His words are a little slower, a little gentler when the ravenette speaks up. “It’s a little silly when you think about it, but...I’ve never seen him involved with much of anything except the company.”

Yugi lets out a minor sigh on the other end, lashes fluttering shut as he recalls Seto’s years of treacherous work, the workaholic never letting himself take vacation, or take a break, and the young man reminds himself that  _ all throughout high school had been nothing but the elder Kaiba brother’s schemes, one after the other. _

_ Seto Kaiba really didn’t have hobbies _ , and it saddened Yugi to think about it..

“ _ Right _ .” Yugi mumbles. “It’s really been nothing but working, working and--”

Mokuba finishes the elder man’s sentence for him. “--working.” Yugi stifles a chuckle at that. “We’re on the same page, even still.” Mokuba snickers wholesomely.

“Well, we can only hope that this’ll change things!” Yugi nods into his phone, letting an optimistic smile prick at the corners of his lips.

_ This was so like him _ , Mokuba thought.  _ It was so like Yugi to try and cheer him up, and be optimistic _ .  _ Perhaps it was one of the things he missed, being overseas _ \--  _ Stanford was a long way from Japan, so it’s not like he could just run home, either. _

_ At least he knows his brother is in good hands. _

“Duh!” Mokuba laughs in return, a toothy grin forming on his own features as the teenager jumps up from his bed. “And you’ll just have to tell me what he makes! If he burns down the apartment, lemme know, ‘kay?”

“For sure! Look out for pictures, too!  _ That’d be too good of a thing to pass up! _ ” The star-haired man beams, happy to know they’d recovered the mood in their conversation.

\--

Well-manicured fingernails dance their way across the craftsmanship of the knife held between his occupied hand, the duelist staring down the soft, teeny nudges and crevices that blended together to create pure  _ artistry _ .

_ That’s what he wanted to call it, at least _ .

The capri blue handled knife was adorned affectionately with scales, and a dragon-eye had seemingly been worked into the bolster, silver sheen of the blade’s head sparkling in tune with the soft lighting of the kitchen. The blade itself had looked  _ freshly _ sharpened, and despite this Kaiba doesn’t exactly realize the extent of how dangerous this chef’s tool was. Then again, it was merely a boning knife, much smaller and petite than it’s other brothers and sisters that rested quietly in the matching knife block.

Seto can’t help but stare at the side of the wooden object, a finger still roaming across the handle of the knife in his hand. Even if it was just the  _ ugliest _ thing  _ it relaxed him _ , and accompanied by the dragon carved into the side of the block --  _ it looked like a Blue-Eyes _ \-- how could he not be comfortable? Perhaps, all this time, _ he just needed the proper tools _ . 

After all, even the chefs at Kaiba Corp. required their specific tools of trade, that of which were often tailored to their liking.

So, Seto sets the knife down onto the cutting board, and graciously twirls on one foot to retrieve a tomato from the fruit bowl on the bar counter.

The first cut is smooth, like running your hand across silk, and Kaiba is intrigued.

So he does it again.

And again.

_ And again _ . 

_ If he could see his own expression in the mirror, he’d probably be ashamed _ . Almost as though he were some kind of child, the CEO admires his fine --  _ albeit sloppy, but he’d never admit that, it was perfect to him _ \-- work, a cheeky smirk chiseling itself at the corner of his lips. 

Frankly, the brunette didn’t quite know what he was going to cook, and  _ yet _ , here the president of Kaiba Corporation stood, tall over the black marble counter and absolutely  _ beaming _ . 

_ He’d figure it out. Seto Kaiba always figures it out _ , he tells himself.

Perhaps it had been out of character for him to suddenly be so attached to something so foreign, but on the other hand, it certainly didn’t hurt to dip your toes into some unfamiliar waters.  _ Only the best men could adapt and work with what they have, so Kaiba would be doing just that. _

His work ethic was no different here, Seto wishing to simply work in silence as he made various cuts into the lab rat that was this little tomato.  _ It wasn’t various stock numbers, nor was it a mountain of code -- but it was as relaxed as the latter, and thus his work continued _ .

  
  


_...This hobby thing doesn’t sound so bad anymore. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) this is a good time to promo myself so..follow me on twitter!! @boDDaciousS

**Author's Note:**

> publishing this at....*looks at my watch* 1 am because I just finished this -- if the writing quality tanked at the end I am so sorry I just needed to get this first chapter out there
> 
> i honestly thought i wrote more but i guess not., . . . .. .


End file.
